Pair of silver candlesticks by Anne CALAS, Béziers, 1724–1730

Rare pair of solid silver candlesticks made in Béziers between 1724 and 1730 in the workshop of Jean BOUÉ, continued after his death by his widow, Anne CALAS.

Each candlestick rests on an octagonal base with canted corners, raised on several moulded steps. The slightly domed platform supports a fully faceted stem composed of a succession of baluster sections, tapering bodies, projecting mouldings and collars.

The particularly architectural central section features a prominent octagonal knop. The sockets, also octagonal, harmoniously repeat the geometric design of the stems.

Through the rigour of their composition and the balance of their proportions, these candlesticks still reflect the influence of models developed during the final years of Louis XIV’s reign, while anticipating the forms of the early Louis XV period.

HALLMARKS

Under the bases and along the rims:
• Workshop mark of Jean BOUÉ, used by his widow Anne CALAS after 1720: the letters “I B”, separated by a pellet, beneath a crowned fleur-de-lis and accompanied by remedy pellets;
• Béziers guild mark for the wardenship of Pierre TUDIER and Étienne DEPERRIÉ, in use from 27 June 1724;
• Fleur-de-lis charge and discharge marks, in use from 1722 to 1730.

The hallmarks are recorded in Jean THUILE’s standard reference works on silver from the Languedoc region.

The former owner’s initials “E.B.” are engraved beneath each base.

DIMENSIONS
• Height: 22 cm — 8.66 in.
• Width of base: 12.6 cm — 4.96 in.

WEIGHT
Total net weight: 1,173 g — 37.71 troy oz.


CONDITION REPORT
Very good overall condition. Light surface scratches consistent with age and use. Irregularities and original traces of manufacture are visible beneath the bases.


HISTORY

Jean BOUÉ is admitted as a master silversmith in Béziers on 5 February 1688, taking the place left vacant by the departure of Charles Gay. On 18 May of the same year, he marries Anne CALAS, widow of the master silversmith L. Astier.

Following Jean BOUÉ’s death on 24 April 1720, Anne CALAS continues the activity of the workshop and keeps the business open in Béziers, retaining the use of her husband’s mark. Jean THUILE notably records this mark on flatware dated 1721.

The combination of the Béziers guild mark, introduced under the wardenship of Pierre TUDIER and Étienne DEPERRIÉ on 27 June 1724, and the fiscal marks in use until 1730 enables this pair to be dated between 1724 and 1730.

Silver made in Béziers during the first third of the eighteenth century is now seldom encountered, and the known corpus of the workshop of Jean BOUÉ, continued by his widow Anne CALAS, remains particularly limited. The survival of two candlesticks forming a pair, bearing corresponding hallmarks and the same former owner’s initials, makes them particularly rare.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

• THUILE Jean, Histoire de l’orfèvrerie du Languedoc. Généralités de Montpellier et de Toulouse. Répertoire des orfèvres depuis le Moyen Âge jusqu’au début du XIXe siècle, vol. I: A–C, Paris, Théo et Florence Schmied, 1964.

• THUILE Jean, L’Orfèvrerie en Languedoc du XIIe au XVIIIe siècle, vol. I: Généralité de Montpellier, Montpellier, Causse et Castelnau, 1966.